Brokeback Mountain Celebrates 20 Years with First-Ever Vinyl Release of Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Verve Forecast, in partnership with Focus Features, announces the vinyl debut of Brokeback Mountain (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), releasing on September 19, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the landmark film and soundtrack. Produced and largely composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, the beautifully assembled soundtrack album blends highlights from Santaolalla’s original score and features performances from Willie Nelson, Rufus Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Linda Ronstadt. Directed by Ang Lee and starring Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain became an instant classic, breaking cinematic and social barriers and winning the Academy Award® for Best Original Score.

Pre-order the vinyl here.

This first-ever vinyl release is available in a number of unique color variants including “Blue Sky ‘Twist,’” available exclusively at the Verve Record Store. All versions are housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket, and include a 16-page booklet featuring rare photos from the film’s production.

The atmosphere of the soundtrack is marked by a down-home blend of folk, bluegrass, and country sounds. Steve Earle contributed a newly-recorded (just for the film) version of the upbeat country rocker "Devil's Right Hand," while Mary McBride's "No One's Gonna Love You Like Me" features a retro bluegrass vibe. Other tracks unique to the soundtrack include Willie Nelson's lilting "He Was a Friend of Mine," Jackie Greene's instant classic "I Will Never Let You Go," and Teddy Thompson's "I Don't Want to Say Goodbye." Thompson and Rufus Wainwright team up for a languid remake of the classic song "King of the Road."

Gustavo Santaolalla's original score is subtly evocative yet emotionally powerful. The original song, "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" was written by Santaolalla and Bernie Taupin and performed by Emmylou Harris, a perfect showcase for Harris' lovely, ethereal voice.

Other tracks selected for the album are The Gas Band's uptempo instrumental take on "Angel Went Up in Flames," Rufus Wainwright's haunting “The Maker Makes," and Linda Ronstadt's 1977 smash "It's So Easy.

Focus Features recently announced the exciting return of Brokeback Mountain to theaters across the US in celebration of the film’s 20th anniversary. Beginning with special showings June 22nd and 25th, Brokeback Mountain will be re-released for a limited engagement — get tickets now.

Beyond its cultural impact and box office success, Brokeback Mountain achieved extensive critical acclaim, winning three Academy Awards® from eight nominations. It won in the categories of Best Directing for Lee, Best Original Score for Santaolalla, and Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writers Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, who adapted from the short story by Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx.

TRACKLISTING

Side A

1. Opening
2. He Was A Friend Of Mine – Willie Nelson
3. Brokeback Mountain
4. A Love That Will Never Grow Old – Emmylou Harris
5. King Of The Road – Teddy Thompson and Rufus Wainwright
6. Snow
7. The Devil’s Right Hand – Steve Earle
8. No One’s Gonna Love You Like Me – Mary McBride

Side B

1. Brokeback Mountain 2
2. I Don’t Want To Say Goodbye – Teddy Thompson
3. I Will Never Let You Go – Jackie Green
4. Riding Horses
5. An Angel Went Up In Flames – The Gas Band
6. It’s So Easy – Linda Ronstadt
7. Brokeback Mountain 3
8. The Maker Makes – Rufus Wainwright
9. The Wings

ABOUT VERVE FORECAST

Verve Forecast is home to a roster of visionary and often genre-defying artists such as Tank and the Bangas, Madison Cunningham, The Head and The Heart, Sarah Kinsley, T Bone Burnett, and more. Originally founded in 1964 as Verve Folkways (and changed to Forecast in 1967), the label was a defining force of the 60s and 70s with artists like Laura Nyro, Richie Havens, Tim Hardin and more. That eclectic legacy continues today, with emerging and established artists of unquestionable quality.

ABOUT FOCUS FEATURES

Focus Features’ upcoming slate includes auteur-driven works like Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme featuring an all-star ensemble led by Benicio del Toro; Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons; Ronan Day-Lewis’ directorial debut Anemone, starring and co-written by Daniel Day-Lewis; Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson; Hamnet directed by Chloé Zhao, based the New York Times bestselling novel, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley; and the highly anticipated final chapter of the global franchise Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, among others. Focus’ recent releases include Conclave, directed by Edward Berger and starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini; Robert Eggers' reimagining of Nosferatu, starring Bill Skarsgård; and Steven Soderbergh’s spy drama Black Bag, starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.